By My Side
by Aki Kaede
Summary: [Oneshot] Cagalli feels the stress of her job. However, Athrun is always there for her no matter what... AsuCaga


Author's notes: An AsuCaga with fluff!

This is just a simple Asucaga fic. Enjoy this and please review ok?

Thanks to all my reviewers!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/Destiny or any of its characters.

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**By Your Side **

The room was silent except for the sounds of scribbling and the occasional paper flip echoing within the walls. It was a typical day of work for the Representative of Orb, going through mountains of paperwork while thinking about how to rule the country better.

Cagalli sat at her desk, overseeing the large amounts of documents piled up in front of her. Athrun in the meantime was sitting on the couch, trying to ease Cagalli's burden by helping her to go through some of the documents.

Athrun could tell Cagalli was stressed. She had been stressed ever since she overtook the position from her father. She was also uneasy about her ability to rule an entire nation. She did not want to say anything about it, however Athrun knew better. He was worried for her but he did not ask her anything. Part of him was afraid she would push herself further to show everyone she was not weak and could handle things well. Athrun knew how stubborn Cagalli was.

Cagalli rubbed at her temples. This did not escape Athrun's notice. He had been seeing her do that more and more times lately. He knew a headache always troubled her, probably due to the effects of overwork, getting no proper sleep at night. However, when asked about it, she would always shrug it off and blame it on the weather or some other random stuff. He also noticed her bouts of gastric problems were also getting worse lately. This can be attributed to the fact of her irregular intake of meals as well as her heavy dosage of coffee, strong black coffee in fact. When it strikes, she would push away the concern of the people around her and rush to the toilet to hide her pain. When she came out, she would just shrug it off as a stomachache. However judging from her pale features, Athrun could tell she was just holding back the pain. It hurt him more to know he could not share her pain and she did not want to confide.

Athrun knew what Cagalli was feeling. She was feeling worried, insecure and many other negative feelings. He wished he could somehow bear some of her worries and take a load off her tiny shoulders which had too much to bear for a teenager.

Suddenly, the scraping sounds of a chair against the floor could be heard. It startled Athrun and interrupted his train of thoughts. He glanced up to see that Cagalli had suddenly stood up from her chair.

"Ca…Cagalli?" Athrun let out.

Cagalli did not answer Athrun but walked straight towards the windows and stared out of them.

"Ca…Cagalli?" Athrun repeated himself, this time albeit in a worried tone. He was afraid she might have lost it due to the pressure. He quickly made his way to where Cagalli was.

"Caga…" Athrun said before Cagalli cut him off.

"The sky, it's infinitely blue." Cagalli said dreamily. "I wish I could be a bird and fly across the blue sky."

Athrun kept silent at this. He did not know what to say but still kept his worried gaze on his princess.

Cagalli put her hand on the window sill and directed her gaze to it. "I'm afraid." She said quietly. "I'm insecure. I do not know if I'm able to do what my father left expected of me. I…feel…I feel…" she started to stutter. "I feel…as if I'm at the edge of a cliff, waiting to fall off…" Cagalli started to shiver a little, as if fearing it.

Athrun watched his princess shiver and could not bear it anymore. He put his arms behind Cagalli and hugged her tightly from behind. He was much taller than her, so he rested his chin on her blonde hair and inhaled her sweet scent.

Cagalli was surprised by his sudden action. "Athrun?"

Athrun tightened his embrace on her. He shifted his head a little lower so he was nearer to her right ear. "Don't worry Cagalli, I'll always be by your side. I'll protect you and keep you safe from everything. So, you don't have to worry about anything." He whispered into her ear.

Athrun's words acted as a source of solace for Cagalli. She could feel his warmth distinctly on her petite form. Cagalli always loved his warmth and his broad shoulders. They made her feel really small and it also gave her the strength she needed as well as the comfort of knowing she could always rely on someone. She was gratified to know that he will always be there for her, no matter what. She relaxed her tense body and let it fall entirely into Athrun's embrace. She closed her eyes slowly and leaned her head back.

"I feel safe with you by my side." Cagalli said softly as she placed her hands on top of Athrun's encircled arms around her waist.

They stayed like this for a long time. Although it is unclear what the future holds for them, they are not afraid of any obstacles to come. They have each other for support, and that is the only thing they need to meet with the unknown challenges lying in front of them.

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Author's notes: Please read and review!


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